Monday, June 26, 2017

38 classic episodes of MST3K to air on Shout! Factory TV’s new Twitch channel beginning on June 26

Social video platform Twitch has announced a marathon of classic episodes of the groundbreaking TV show, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Beginning on June 26 at 11:00 am PT and ending on July 3, the six-day event is the most extensive collection of MST3K episodes ever assembled for a marathon. It will air on Shout! Factory TV’s new Twitch channel (twitch.tv/shoutfactorytv), with other shows to follow this year. Twitch is a free-to-watch online platform featuring both live and on-demand digital content accompanied by real-time chat from viewers.

The MST3K marathon will feature 38 of the classic episodes that originally aired on Comedy Central and Sci-Fi Channel from 1989 to 1997. Created by Joel Hodgson, the series follows a hapless host, trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space, who is forced to watch some of the most outrageously unfortunate B movies ever created. To keep sane, he has built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery. Series creator Hodgson originally played the stranded man, Joel Robinson. When he left in 1993, series head writer Mike Nelson replaced him as the new B-movie victim, and continued in the role for the rest of the show’s initial run. The format proved to be popular, and during its ten seasons and 197 episodes, it attained a loyal fan base and critical acclaim, including a Peabody Award and two Primetime Emmy® nominations.
“The success of TV marathons on Twitch illustrate how our community thrives on interactive programming, as they connect over memes, nostalgia, and the social experience in chat,” said Ben Vallat, VP of Business Development, Twitch. “Because Mystery Science Theater 3000 mirrors the viewing experience on Twitch given that the show is all about people watching other people and making comments, it is right in the wheelhouse of our viewers and should make for a memorable communal event.”

“As Shout! Factory continues to expand the footprint of its digital streaming service Shout! Factory TV, we’re thrilled to be bringing some of the very best of pop culture to Twitch with the launch of the Shout! Factory TV channel,” said Gene Pao, SVP of Digital Media at Shout! Factory. “Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the original movie riffing show, and encourages a community viewing experience in the same vein as Twitch. Past MST3K marathons, both on broadcast and streaming services, have been a popular fan tradition since the early days of the show, and we’re excited to share this tradition with a whole new audience.”

MST3K joins a growing list of marathon content Twitch has broadcast over the last several years: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage with Carl Sagan, Julia Child’s The French Chef, The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, Saban’s Power Rangers, and more.

Twitch is the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers. Each day, millions of community members gather to watch, talk, and chat about shared interests. Twitch’s video platform is the backbone of both live and on-demand distribution for all types of content, including the entire video game ecosystem, the creative arts, vlogging (IRL), and more. Twitch also runs TwitchCon, the annual convention for celebrating the Twitch community. For more information about Twitch, visit our Press Center, Twitter feed (#Twitch), and Blog.

About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Factory Productions, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.

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